Pages

Monday, July 30, 2012

Recently Daegu city announced the launch of E-Street, an English themed street in Beomeo Subway. The purpose of this street was to have a community of English speaking establishments for foreigners. Each place was to have one fluent English speaking person onsite. While it was a unique concept, it hasn’t quite taken off as planned.

Beomeo World Plaza as it’s called is easy to reach in the underground concourse level of Beomeo Subway station on line 2. Then it has another name called E-Street so I think they should just stick to one.

The stretch of the underground walkway is colorfully made up as each store has its own architecture. At the start was an immigration office though I'm not sure what purpose it served. It was a vacant unit anyway.

There was a windmill photo studio and a children’s English academy.

Everyone’s favorite must probably be the travel agency. Not only is the outside painted to look like an airplane with a small wing sticking out to one side, but the inside has rows of airplane style reclining chairs. I'm not sure if they do presentations or run classes to determine the purpose of all these chairs.

Popular Indian restaurant Maya has opened a second branch from their original Kyunpook University location. There is a big red bus though I'm not sure what it is, and another coffee shop made out like a historic streetcar with upright rails outside.

Most of the units appeared to be vacant so despite the big launch, it doesn’t yet have full occupancy. Many foreigners excitedly head over only to discover there isn’t really anything there except the travel agency and a couple of others.

It’s nice to walk thru but they need to work on attracting tenants and generating retail traffic. Perhaps English services for foreigners could be a doctor, dentist, and eye doctor. Maybe also a goverment information desk for common questions about pension, immigration and visas. The city of Daegu could also have a tourism info booth. Also a hair salon for men and women, and a real estate office that has citywide rentals. Even like the 'English Villages' they could have a bank and post office, although this would only encourage foreigners not to learn Korean

Other ways to attract traffic would be to hold events such as local musicians and street theatre groups performing on the small stage. This would also be a way for Korean university students to showcase their talents.

I hope this venture does eventually succeed and doesn’t just end up being a big underground white elephant.

Friday, July 27, 2012

1. tickets can only be bought in person, not online2. they can only be bought on the day of travel not ahead of time3. buses do not have seat numbers so can oversell

In the past, there weren't many international visitors or citizens living in Daegu and because of that intercity terminals have not provided international language services. However, as the number of foreign visitors or citizens grows, the needs of using intercity bus from international people are also increasing. This post would be helpful for them.

It is not difficult at all to get to the terminal or buy tickets at the terminal, though four different inter-city terminals might cause confusion. Each bus terminals is located in northeastern, northwestern, southeastern, and southeastern part of Daegu, normally heading to those directions as you see in the image below. Today's post is about Dongbu Intercity Bus Terminal.

Dongbu Intercity Bus Terminal (Donboo Jeongryujang)

Dongbu Intercity Bus Terminal (Dongbu Jeongryujang) is located in the eastern part of the City. It’s close to Dongdaegu Train station where KTX stops.

* How to get to the terminal?

1. Taxi- When you take a taxi, say “Dongbu Bus Terminal ro Gajooseyo" to the taxi driver.

This is a picture taken from the opposite side of the terminal. It might be hard to find the terminal, because it is located on the heal and surrounded by buildings. Follow the Yellow Arrow to find the terminal. (Be careful of buses and cars coming into the terminal when you cross the road.)

If you get off at South Dongbu Bus Terminal Bus Stop, you can use the stairs to get to the terminal.

This building is the bus terminal building. The fun thing is that the bus terminal company’s name is written bigger than the name of the terminal.

When you get into the building, you would see a ticket window. English service is not provided here. To purchase a ticket, go to the ticket window and say your destination clearly in Korean.

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

I will introduce you movie theater information in Downtown Daegu today. There are five movie theater near Jungangro Subway Station, one more near Banwoldang Subway Station and one more near Daegu Subway Station. They are all easy to access because of the subway. I marked the locations of each movie theater on the map below for your understanding.

You can buy movie tickets at the spot but it’s better to make a reservation for a desired seat or time in case of popular movies. To do this, log on to the website of the movie theater or call the sites for reservation.

Monday, July 23, 2012

Manbulsa,

where you can get a new look into Buddhist temples.

In Korea, there are so many temples that are beautifully painted and ornately decorated, it can be overwhelming to see them all. Daegu residents are lucky then, to have one of the more memorable and unique temples in Korea just a quick train or bus ride away.

Manbulsa is styled in a way that is reminiscent of Thailand and Japan. There is a golden lantern tower also, something I have never seen in Korea. It is large, featuring three spires jutting towards the sky. The gold, beautifully detailed tower is at its best in the summer sun. Around the base are rows of statues of children wearing red scarves, occasionally one is draped with prayer beads or surrounded by little candies. They are all kneeling down, hands together in prayer. These were paid for by families who had chosen not to have a child, as a way to repent the sin and help the child have a gentle and easy death.

Across from the lantern tower is a three story pagoda with a bell on the base level. It towers above the other buildings in a way that is seldom seen in Korea. It is painted in the typical fashion for temple buildings in Korea, with the intricate roofing tiles to boot. I especially love the tiny bells hanging from each corner on every level, softly chiming in the distance.

The main temple building is just as adorned as the rest of the area. In front is a small garden area with statues, my favorite of which is a green, emaciated Buddha reaching enlightenment. The exterior walls, seeming at first to just be gold, are actually lined with meticulously placed Buddhas. Under each one is a name of a donor. The temple’s construction started in 1995, so this is a rare chance to see a place where the donators and constructors are likely to still be there, meditating silently inside.

Walking past the main building, there are golden rolls and a maze. Spin the rolls and walk through the maze to get rid of bad karma. The Buddhist statues continue up the road, with beautiful trees and gardens along the way. There is an unpaved trail through a wooded area (uphill, but not too difficult to require special shoes and a level of fitness). A small enclosure features some deer living on the mountain.

Once at the top, you cannot miss the golden Buddha towering from the top of the mountain. It is enormous, and the gold makes it much more gaudy and eye catching than most in Korea. Smaller Buddhas line the walkway, and several statues are situated around the area. Take your time and appreciate the detail given to each one, they are truly beautiful.

From there, there is a path to walk through the area. It leads through rows and rows of headstones to a large reclining Buddha. Best of all, this height gives a great view of the temple, both the pagoda and the lantern tower and the surrounding area from above.

Visit Manbulsa to get a new look into Buddhist temples and appreciate the amazing sights just out of the city.

- Getting there is easy.

By train, take a slow train from Dongdaegu to Yeongcheon, and from there grab a taxi for 10,000-15,000 won to Manbulsa. If you would rather not pay for a cab, walk 700 m from the train station to the bus terminal, a local bus will take you there also. For more information, check out http://www.manbulsa.org/global_site/english/

* additional information from one of our blog visitors

another way is to go to Dongbu terminal close to dongdaegu. from there regular buses goto Impo which is a roadside stop after Yeongchan. from there you can walk or take a cab to the temple for about 4000w. be sure to take his number to come back as he is the only cab driver in impo. check the return bus times from Impo to Daegu

Friday, July 20, 2012

I have been told that many foreign people are having trouble with using intercity bus when they want to go some places where train or express buses don’t run. We organized detailed information of intercity bus terminals in Daegufor the people who want to travel by intercity bus. I will keep posting each terminal’s information periodically from today.

※Things you should know before you use the bus terminals!

1. tickets can only be bought in person, not online2. they can only be bought on the day of travel not ahead of time3. buses do not have seat numbers so can oversell

In the past, there weren't many international visitors or citizens living in Daegu and because of that intercity terminals have not provided international language services. However, as the number of foreign visitors or citizens grows, the needs of using intercity bus from international people are also increasing. This post would be helpful for them.

It is not difficult at all to get to the terminal or buy tickets at the terminal, though four different inter-city terminals might cause confusion. Each bus terminals is located in northeastern, northwestern, southeastern, and southeastern part of Daegu, normally heading to those directions as you see in the image below. Today's post is about Seobu Intercity Bus Terminal.

Seobu Intercity Bus Terminal (Seoboo Jeongryujang)

Seobu Interciy Bus Terminal (Seoboo Jeongryujang) is located in the southern part of the City. It’s relatively easy to find the location compared to other bus terminals.

* How to get to the terminal?

1. Subway- The easiest way to get to Seobu intercity terminal is using subway line no1. You can take the exit number 3 when you get off at Seongdangmot station and it’s right next to the gate.

2. Bus- If you want to use a bus, take the busses below.

106, 518, 564, 651, 726, 750, 805 (get off at Seobu Bus Terminal Bus Stop on the map.)452, 604, 609, 623, 649, 706 (get off at Gawnmoon Market Bus Stop on the map.※ it takes about 5 minutes from each bus stops to the terminal on foot.

3. Taxi- When you take a taxi, say “Seobu Bus Terminal ro Gajooseyo" to the taxi driver.

* How to buy bus tickets?

This is the outside view of the Seobu bus terminal. English and Chinese characters are also written in the sign.

Bus tickets are sold at the ticket window. If you are good at understanding Korean, you can use the automatic ticket vending machine that only provides Korean service.

Even though you are not good at Korean, it would not be difficult to buy tickets at the window, as long as you pronounce the destination in Korean clearly. Workers at the ticket center are mostly young and they have dealt with many international customers. They will kindly help you to get the tickets.

* What are the destinations?

The destinations from Seobu intercity bus terminal are below.Intervals vary depending on destinations. Just make sure to check the first and last bus.

Destination

First Bus

Last Bus

Travel Time

(Min)

Fare (KRW)

가조(Gajo)

9:10

20:30

70

5,200 Won

거창(Geochang)

6:33

22:00

70

5,200 Won

경주(Gyeongju)

6:30

21:30

70

5,200 Won

광주(Gwangju)

10:42

17:18

270

13,100 Won

구미(Gumi)

6:50

22:00

50

3,500 Won

군산(Gunsan)

7:00

19:40

240

17,300 Won

김해Gimhae)

8:00

19:30

110

9,300 Won

남원(Namwon)

7:55

19:00

120

10,100 Won

마산(Masan)

6:00

21:30

70

6,200 Won

부곡(Bugok)

7:30

20:30

60

5,300 Won

부산-서부
(Busan-Seobu)

7:00

18:00

110

9,200 Won

순천(Suncheon)

8:00

19:00

180

14,500 Won

여수(Yeosu)

7:05

19:00

240

18,300 Won

울산(Ulsan)

6:10

22:00

110

7,800 Won

원주(Wonju)

7:05

17:30

210

13,200 Won

의령(Eiryeong)

7:00

18:40

110

9,100 Won

익산(Iksan)

7:00

19:40

200

15,400 Won

전주(Jeonju)

7:00

19:40

160

12,200 Won

진주(Jinju)

6:30

19:30

120

8,600 Won

창녕(Changnyeong)

7:00

21:00

35

3,300 Won

창원(Changwon)

7:00

19:10

85

6,700 Won

청주(Cheongju)

7:10

19:40

160

12,200 Won

초계(Chogye)

8:50

18:50

80

6,000 Won

통영(Tongyeong)

6:10

20:00

160

12,800 Won

포항(Pohang)

6:30

21:30

80

7,300 Won

함양(Hamyang)

6:33

19:30

110

7,500 Won

합천(Hapcheon)

6:30

22:00

70

5,600 Won

해인사(Haeinsa)

6:40

20:00

90

6,600 Won

Isn’t it easier to use an intercity bus terminal than you thought? Then, don’t hesitate to make a trip to another city! Try it now!

Other intercity bus terminal information will be updated soon as well. Please wait for the next post. Enjoy Summer in Daegu :)